Gosnold Behavioral Health, the Falmouth-based nonprofit treating substance use disorder and other mental health issues, is looking to move off Cape.
The organization has proposed moving its inpatient services out of Falmouth and into the former Forestview Nursing Home in Wareham.
Gosnold president and CEO Richard Curcuru told Wareham's Zoning Board of Appeals last week that the facility in Falmouth was outdated and difficult to keep fully staffed.
“We're relocating our services off of the Cape,” he said. “So our detox facility, 48 beds, and our rehab, 48 beds, would be relocated from Falmouth to this building.”
That’s a total of 96 inpatient beds that would be moved to Wareham, along with Gosnold’s administrative offices.
In a statement, Curcuru wrote that Gosnold plans to “maintain multiple outpatient locations on Cape Cod and across the region.”
However, Gosnold does not have plans for outpatient services at the Wareham location at this time.
Some Wareham neighbors were opposed to Gosnold's moving its operations base to the former nursing home property, citing concerns about traffic, lighting, and security.
Attorney Leonard Bello spoke on behalf of concerned residents at a recent Zoning Board of Appeals meeting.
“What if this is your neighborhood?” Bello said. “You bought it not knowing that there's ever going to be an addiction group, never going to be substance abusers across the street from you, and now you're suggesting there is.”
Curcuru told the board that Gosnold has never needed to hire security, but it would for the proposed Wareham facility if it would make neighbors more comfortable.
Curcuru also said that having addiction services in Wareham could be a good thing for residents.
“To be honest with you, [substance use disorder is] a bad problem in Wareham. It is one of the worst towns in the state in terms of what this problem is,” he said. “We want to be able to help Wareham with this major issue.”
Gosnold representatives said that they have already been meeting with neighbors to try to resolve their concerns.
Gosnold’s attorney Mark Bobrowski said in the Zoning Board of Appeals meeting that due to the nature of the proposal, federal disability law applies and trumps local zoning.
Gosnald will go before the board again in two weeks to discuss the matter further.
